Guardian Angel As wins Spirit of Massachusetts Trot in record time

Plainville, MA – Guardian Angel As lived up to his billing in the $250,000 Spirit of Massachusetts Trot as he led every step of the way en route to an impressive victory, setting a new track record in the process.  

Guardian Angel As won th $250,000 Spirit of Massahusetts stake at Plainridge Park Sunday. Tom Melanson Photo.

Tim Tetrick wasted no time putting Guardian Angel As on the point, seating everyone else in the process before he hit the quarter in :26.4. Tetrick then slowed down the pace in the second panel to :28.3, forcing an outer flow that brought Weslynn Dancer (David Miller), La Grange A (Andy Miller) and Mambo Lindy (Drew Monti). 

The field made its way up the backside and Weslynn Dancer eventually drew even with Guardian Angel As before they hit three-quarters in 1:22.4. There Tetrick asked his hors and he shifted gears and opened up by a length. Down the lane, Tetrick reminded Guardian Angel As his work wasn’t quite finished and he tapped the wheel disk a couple times more and the trotter closed it out on his own, winning by a 1 1/4 in 1:51.3.

 The time was a new track record for aged trotting horses, besting the standing mark of 1:53.4 set by Kodak Lindy in 2016 and was only one-fifth of a second off the all-time trotting mark of 1:51.2 set by JL Cruze in the inaugural edition of the Spirit of Massachusetts Trot back in 2017.

 Guardian Angel As ($3) has now won five out of his last six races and the winner’s share of the purse boosted his 2019 earnings to $312,934 for owners Acl Stuteri Ab and Kjell Johansson. Anette Lorentzon trains Guardian Angel As.

 Two races before that track record breaking performance, Shartin N put on a show of her own when she broke two standing Plainridge records in the $100,000 Clara Barton Distaff Pace.

 Once again the hot-handed Tetrick vaulted Shartin N to the front and took that position unopposed and from there she was simply a pacing machine. As Tetrick had his hands full with his mare on the bit, Shartin N went to the quarter in :26.3, the half in :55.1 and the three-quarters in 1:22.1 with the field just trying to keep pace. 

 When they made their way around the last turn you could see Shartin N starting to pull away. Tetrick was sitting statuesque without urging the mare at all while she was accelerating on her own towards the record book. Shartin N pulled away to a 1-3/4 length margin and was wrapped up at the wire in 1:49.1.  

 Shartin N broke the aged pacing mare record of 1:50 set by Youaremycandygirl (Yannick Gingras) just three races earlier on the card and also the 14-year-old, all-time pacing mark of 1:49.2 set by Maltese Artist in 2005. 

 It was the 10th win in a row and 11th of the season for Shartin N ($2.20) and it raised her 2019 earnings to $655,765 for owners Rich Poillucci, Jo Ann Looney-King and her driver Tim Tetrick. Jim King Jr. trains the 2018 Dan Patch Award winning mare. 

 “It was a great day of racing at Plainridge Park and it was good to see such a strong turnout of racing fans throughout the facility,” said Steve O’Toole, director of racing at Plainridge Park. “It was also great to see Massachusetts native Rich Poillucci and Shartin N win the Barton and also Massachusetts natives Jim Winske, Paul Kelley and Steve Michaels finishing second with The Veteran in the Spirit.”

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